A Model for Urban Stormwater Improvement Conceptualisation

Catchment urbanisation leads to increased hydraulic and pollutant loadings into receiving waterbodies. Issues concerning pollution that endangers the sustainable utilisation of water resources have focused government authorities towards integrated catchment management, where both causes and effects of pollution are addressed. Recent research has provided a platform for improving urban stormwater management. The CRC for Catchment Hydrology (CRCCH) has recently developed a Model for Urban Stormwater Improvement Conceptualisation (MUSIC), which serves as a decision support system (DSS) that packages the results of many research activities undertaken at the CRCCH and other organisations into an easily used tool. MUSIC enables urban catchment managers to (a) determine the likely water quality emanating from specific catchments, (b) predict the performance of specific stormwater treatment measures in protecting receiving water quality, (c) design an integrated stormwater management plan for each catchment, and (d) evaluate the success of specific treatment measures, or the entire catchment plan, against a range of water quality standards. This paper describes the operation of the model, the principal algorithms, and research activities undertaken in the CRC directed at further enhancing the system.